4 My 3 Suns

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-21T09:41:00.000-04:00

Sunset - Rodanthe North Carolina... Oh how I wish I was there now...

For More Wordless Wendsday visit Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes for Mom

Tracey

Black and White Wednsday

2010-04-21T09:23:00.000-04:00

My sister and her husband on their wedding day....
So sweet!

For more Black and White photos please visit The Long Road to China ~ Enjoy

Tracey

Words of Wisdom

2010-04-20T08:05:00.000-04:00

You know how you always get those emails that are 8 miles long and you very seldom read them? Well I got this one the other day and I took the time to read it. Kind of puts things in perspective sometimes...

The Mayonnaise Jar

A professor stood before his philosophy class And had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students, if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - family, children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions? Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else --The small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, You will never have room for the things that are important to you.
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
'Take care of the golf balls first -- The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

Tracey

I ♥ Faces - Collages

2010-04-19T14:33:00.001-04:00

This weeks theme over at i heart faces is Photo Collage Theme. I shot these pics a couple of months ago down at a local state park. Common theme - my boys!

Jump on over to i heart faces to see more entries!

Tracey

Mommy Braggin Moment

2010-04-19T09:22:00.000-04:00

Okay - sometimes you just have to brag a little on your kids. My son Thomas has been invited to be in the Book Masters Club at school~!!! Book Masters is selection of students who read 12 books and then they attend Quiz Bowls. He starts to read now and through the summer and the quizzes will start in fall of next year. I am so proud of him!

Tracey

Free Photobook

2010-04-15T09:58:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine shared this website with me last month and I thought I would share it with you all. You get a free (yes FREE) photo book once a month~! You don't even have to pay shipping! The book is about 8X10 in size and is not a hard cover but - hey free is free! There are different backgrounds you can use and everything! Really neat.
Just go to Hot Prints and get started.

Wordless Wednesday & Black and White

2010-04-14T08:45:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite pictures of my boys! I can not wait to get back to the beach~
Check out more Wordless Wednesday at Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes for Mom

For more Black and White photos click the button below!

Photobucket src="http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd316/traceyfduke/C2D.jpg" border=0>

Popping Wheelies...

2010-04-04T23:48:00.000-04:00

The weather has been great the last couple of days and the boys have had a blast riding their bikes. They have discovered that they pop wheelies. We had a few crash and burns but some how they survived...
Here is what I watched all afternoon!

A New Look

2010-03-04T23:25:00.000-05:00

So I tried out my new software that I got for my birthday (photoshop elements) and gave my blog a new look. I think it turned out okay. I still don't know a whole lot about it but I am so looking forward to learning how to use it. So if anybody has any tips please share! :0)
I celebrated my 38th birthday today. I don't quite feel "old" yet - even though my dear husband reminds me quite often that I am older than he. We quietly celebrated at home with a good ole pizza and homemade hot fudge sundaes! I received lots of email, text messages and wall postings on facebook. Over all I had a really great day!
I will share with the card my dear sweet husband gave to me...

He has such a sence of humor....

Tracey

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-24T08:38:00.001-05:00

Check out more photos Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes for Mom

Baby parts....

Snow in NC

2010-02-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

It doesn’t happen often, but every now and then it snows here in Eastern NC. The boys LOVED it~ I think it is beautiful but I would rather have warm and sunny weather. Due to snow not being a common event, the boys do not really have the proper attire for snow. I did have some hand me downs so they faired okay. Keeping feet and hands warm and dry is the hardest part. LOL

Got to Get back to it~!

2010-02-22T12:42:00.006-05:00

It has been forever since I have blogged - I know. I could spend days catching up on everyone. Face book has taken over my life it seems - farming, cooking, chatting with friends. There has been a lot going on as usual in our lives. The weather has been the coldest EVER. Yesterday turned out to be just gorgeous~ We took the kids to a local state park and let the run. It was great. They had a blast climbing trees and exploring the trails.

Here are some updated pics....

Tanner

Tyler

Thomas

All Three~

Been A long Time....

2009-12-15T15:18:00.000-05:00

Time…. It passes so quickly! I have been so busy and it is getting worse daily it seems. I have not blogged in forever; but I have become a Face Book junkie these days. I have gotten back in touch with some of my closest high school girlfriends. We actually have got together once for dinner and we are doing it again this Friday night.
Thomas finally got a “release” from the oncologist at the end of October. That is one place I hope we never have to visit again! The summer needless to say was not our “best” summer but it all worked out. I consider us very blessed.
Here is a quick update:
Thomas is doing great in the 3rd grade. He is in the highest reading and math class. He thinks his teacher is “hot” (so does my husband – she is really cute) and has a new “girl friend”.
Tyler is learning to read in school, and doing a pretty good job too. He has all of a sudden taken an interest in sounding out words so I am doing my best to encourage that. His little buddy Spencer is in his class – those two are a hoot.
Tanner is doing well in school too. It took him a little while to adjust to kindergarten. There was a “bully” (to put it politely) in his class that has finally been removed from the classroom. This little boy was pushing, kicking cussing and spitting – at Tanner, other students and the teacher too. Thank the Lord our Principle is getting this child the help he needs! Tanner is starting to blossom now!
The boys are ready for Christmas. They are all so excited! They went to see Santa and Thomas gave him directions to the Lego store. It was so stinking cute to see them in awe talking with Santa! I need to do some work on my blog to get it up to date. I hope you all are doing well and I can’t wait to catch up with you all!

Thomas Update

2009-08-21T12:46:00.001-04:00

Thomas had his follow up this morning with the oncologist. Dr. Fuh just received test results from a couple of weeks ago and there was evidence that sometime Thomas has had Cat Scratch Disease. It can take months for any kind of signs to surface. He said that it was just a "test" and that might not be the cause. Since Thomas is allergic to cats, he not around them. After he examined Thomas, he said there was significant reduction in the swelling. He said if it were Lymphoma, the antibiotics would not have reduced the swelling. However, he still wants to have a CAT scan done so he can see the lymph nodes deep down that he can not feel. We will do the scan in a couple of weeks. After the doctor reviews the results, he will either prescribe another round of antibiotics, and monitor for a while or set us free!!
Thank-you all so much for your kind words and prayers. Words can not express how much it means to me.
Prayer is a POWERFUL thing.

For a Great Cause

2009-08-19T22:09:00.003-04:00

As you all have probably read, Thomas has had some health issues over the past couple of weeks. We had a MRI done and test results suggested that there was great concern that he may have either Lymphoma or Leukemia. Initial test show that all is clear. I thank God for taking care of that. He is the only reason for the great results. Although we are still not completely out of the woods yet, things are looking WAY better that before.

With this in mind, I really would like you all to consider helping my friend J.B out. He is a co-worker of mine and he has really shown lots of support to me and my family during this time of concern for Thomas. There is another child that J.B. holds dear to his heart has been fighting (and winning) childhood cancer himself. Along with this child's father, J.B. is participating in a childhood fund raiser in connection with St. Baldrick's Foundation. On October 24th J.B., and a few others will be shaving their heads! All proceeds raised will go to the foundation for childhood cancer research in efforts that no more children will ever have to suffer from any type of childhood cancer.
What a great guy he is for stepping up for such a great cause. After reading up on St. Baldrick's Foundation, I urge all of you to make a donation to this foundation. Most of my readers have children of their own. It can happen at any minute to any of us. God uses doctors, and medicine to heal and sometimes He just chooses to heal it all himself. Please, please consider making a small (or large) donation to this foundation.
Here is the link to St. Baldrick's Foundation, and here is the link to J.B.'s page where you can make a donation to sponsor him.
I challenge all of my family,co-workers, friends, and blog buddies to make a $ 10.00 or more contribution. I would love to see J.B. hit his goal of $ 2,000.00!

Thanks to all of you for prayers for Thomas. We will be going back to the oncologist, on Friday. Hopefully there will be good results to report. I will keep you all posted!

P.S.
I will post some before and after pictures of J.B. Hope you all can show support!

Many thanks,
Tracey

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-18T23:35:00.004-04:00

My boys love the water. It is hard to believe summer is almost over....

Tanner LOVES the ocean. He had a blast last week-end.

Thomas just learned to dive. Pretty good huh?

Sometimes my boys do like each other. I love this one of Thomas and Tyler.

For more Wordless Wednesday entries go here .

Please remember to pray for Thomas. We go back to the oncologist on Friday. Pray the test results continue to be okay. For more details visit previous entries....

Thanks to all,

Tracey

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-11T23:22:00.006-04:00

Some beach pictures.

I just love my boys! You all just take the time each and every day to love on you family. You never know what tomorrow brings....

Tyler, Thomas and Tanner at the Aquarium.

Me and Frank - My BEST Friend!

Me and two of my boys Tyler and Thomas. Tanner wasn't in the mood! LOL

For more Wordless Wednesday entries click here or here.

Going Down....

2009-08-11T09:59:00.002-04:00

The swelling is going down!!! The anit-biotics appear to be working. Just as the doctor predicted there is a noticeable decrease in the swelling. Thomas tells me yesterday "Look Mama! (as he pushing on himself) It doesn't even hurt anymore!". We still will follow up with the oncologist and probably do a CAT scan just to take another look at everything but it appears that he is going to be okay.

Thank-you all for so much support. Prayers have been lifted to God from all over the country. Some of you Twittered and blogged about my son. Thank-you for spreading the word. Every one's prayers were heard. Please Praise God for the miracle....

We took the boys to the beach yesterday for some "fun" time. I took alot of pictures so I will be posting them soon. I was "cleaning" my laptop up on Friday (while anxiously waiting for the doctor to call) and deleted some hardware from my machine. I can not get on line right now. As soon as I get it all strait I will post some pictures...

BTW... We got a new puppy... :0)

Update on Thomas - Praise the Lord

2009-08-07T14:58:00.007-04:00

PRAISE GOD! Our prayers have been answered!

Just got a call from the doctor. We have good news. Although we are not entirely out of the woods we are close!
Thomas' chest X-ray's are clear. His white blood counts are good. The pathologist said there was a significant amount of tissue in the aspiration biopsy and he examined it all and everything looks normal!!! He could find nothing wrong!
The Oncologist feels strongly that this is a lymphatic response - basically an over reaction of his lymph nodes! PRAISE GOD!!

We are to keep Thomas on his anit-biotics for the next two weeks. We are to monitor the swelling. We should see a significant reduction in swelling over the next two days. Should there be more swelling we will see him immediately for addition testing (CAT scan and biopsy). He has cancelled the appointment with the surgeon for next week!

A mother can not express the emotions she feels when one of her children are sick. I want to say thank-you for all of your prayers and words of encouragement my family has recieved from you all over the past couple of days. I have received literally hundreds of emails from friends from work, face book, and blog buddies. Words can not express how your support help me manage to get through the last couple of days.

Most of all Praise God! The Lord above has his hands on my little Thomas. I KNOW with all my heart that HE is the reason we have good results! HE heard all of your prayers and has answered them! Thank-you Jesus! All the glory should go to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

Update - No News

2009-08-06T22:40:00.002-04:00

First thank-you so much for all your words of encouragement and your prayers. I never knew how much just a small thinking about you note could mean so much.
There really isn't much to say as far as an update goes. The doctor did not call today with any results. We will be calling him in the morning. Hopefully I will be updating you all with good news tomorrow....

Until then please continue to keep Thomas in your prayers. God is listening - I just know it!

Thanks again to you all!!

Update - Thomas

2009-08-05T20:56:00.002-04:00

The doctor is finding conflicting symptoms with the information that is coming back – so they are not entirely sure what is going on.

They took blood this afternoon and there was something in his blood chemistry that they were looking for – whatever it was (I can't remember something to to with his liver) came back with good results. The white blood count is not back yet. They were still testing when we left.

The doctor did a physical examination of Thomas and said that his lymph nodes in his groin area are entirely too big and that something is definitely not right. He said that the good sign is they were not "hard" but they are firm. He told us that if this comes back as cancer he believes it will be one of two types – Leukemia or Lymphoma. He says if it turns out to be Leukemia the success rate at beating it is between 95-96%. If it turns out to be Lymphoma and it is isolated to the groin area only the success rate at beating it is about 95%. Those numbers sound good - I know - but there is no "success rate good enough when you are a mommy.

The MRI from yesterday showed that none of the glands in his stomach are swollen – this is VERY GOOD NEWS. They did a chest X-ray to check for any mass around his lungs. We still don't know any results from that.

We have a consultation appointment next Wednesday and for surgery to get a biopsy. It is planned for the 21st. Because we can't get a biopsy done until next week he (doctor) chose to do a Fluid Aspiration of the glands in his groin. They were able to get some fluid and a small amount of tissue. It was very painful for Thomas and it makes you sick to your stomach to watch you child go through that kind of pain. They basically inserted a needle into his groin area and poked in and out to suck up fluid. I cry now as I write this. He was just looking at me with those big blues eyes screaming Mommy. It was awful. Frank and I stood there holding his hands and hovering over him to try to offer him comfort. I have never felt so helpless in my life.
The fluid that was drawn was “cloudy” which they (the two pathologist) said was a good sign because it can indicate that it is an infection and possibly not cancer. They have sent the tissue off for testing. If the results are show bad cells we will be admitted to the hospital immediately for bone marrow testing . If the results are good we will still go through with the biopsy to confirm there is no cancer next week.
The Oncologist has put Thomas on anit-biotics for the next 14 days in case it is a an infection. If the swelling goes down and all the test results come back with no sign of cancer, we may not have to do the biopsy surgery.

We are very, very scared. It is time to lean on God - I am trying to lean on him. But the Mommy in me just wants it fixed - NOW! Thomas is scared too but he doesn't fully understand what is going on. We have chosen not to tell Thomas too much until we know for sure what we are dealing with. There is no need to scare him more. I told him today that the doctors need to figure out why his 'knots' (that is what he calls them) are there. I told him there might me something in there that could make him sick and we need to make sure there isn't. That seemed to satisfy him for now. I told my other two boys that we had to take Thomas to a "fancy" doctor. They need to look at his knots.

THANK YOU so much for praying for my baby.

Please continue to keep our entire family in your prayers. When I get more results I will post ASAP.

God can heal my child no matter what it is. Please, please pray for healing.

Thanks to you All,

Tracey

Urgent Prayer Request Needed for my Son!

2009-08-05T11:40:00.002-04:00

Please Please pray for my son Thomas. I don't have time to give all the details now. I will re-post later with the whole story. We have a 1:00 appointment with an oncologist. Doctors are saying that they think Thomas (my oldest son) has leukemia or lymphoma. Please pray that they are wrong!

Thanks to you all! And my God heal my son!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-17T07:21:00.005-04:00

Betcha never heard a fish "croak" before! This was the first time for our boys!

For more Wordless Wedensday go here and here.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-10T07:09:00.001-04:00

They start WAY too early! I am speechless!
For more Wordless Wednesday entries click here.

Visit to the Wright Bothers Memorial

2009-06-09T13:16:00.004-04:00

During Memorial Day week-end, our family visited the Outer Banks of N.C. This is one of a favorite places to go. We visit the beach quite often during the summer months. Other than the beach, there are lots of things to do. One afternoon, we decided to go visit the Wright Brothers Memorial. The boys had a great time and learned all about Wilbur and Orville Wright. We actually got to see a couple of planes land and take off. Here are a few shots~

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-27T12:25:00.007-04:00

I got this shot a couple of weeks ago while hanging out at the Outer Banks. My boys found this little guy hiding out in the sand. I picked him up so the boys could touch him. I just had to pose him with my "beverage". Looking at my beverage would explain why I had enough guts to pick him up!~

Visit Wordless Wednsday or 5 Minutes for MOM for more entries.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-13T09:14:00.000-04:00

Can't wait for summer~ :)
For more Wordless Wednesday entries go HERE or HERE

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-29T09:30:00.003-04:00

I swear I am not dead... I will be posting again really soon...
Here is this week's Wordless Wednesday. This was taken at my sister's wedding. I think it is a really neat shot!

Wordless Wednesday....

2009-04-14T23:14:00.003-04:00

It has been a while I know... Been busy. My baby Sister got married. I took her Bridal portraits... What do you think?

For more entries visit 5 Minutes for Mom or Wordless Wednesday.

WORRIED ABOUT ALZHEIMERS? TAKE THESE FOUR TESTS ....

2009-03-27T11:45:00.003-04:00

Sit comfortably and be calm. Put your thinking process aside. Put your brain in neutral gear.

1- Find the C below. Do not use any cursor help.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

2- If you found the C, now find the 6 below.

9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
6999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

3- Now find the N below. It's a little more difficult.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMNMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

I was assured this is NOT a joke. If you were able to pass these 3 tests, you can cancel your annual visit to your neurologist. Your brain is great and you're far from having a close relationship with Alzheimer.

Congratulations!

For more funny jokes, stories and games click in the Friday Funnies button at the top of this post or visit here.

Happy Friday!

Art Work....

2009-03-26T21:56:00.006-04:00

Tonight I was checking the kids folders - a nightly affair in our house and I found some art work that Tanner and Tyler brought home from school. I thought i would share these with you all.

Tanner worked really hard on his pin punch project. He has worked on it all week. I think he did a pretty good job!

Tanner is very proud of his master piece!

Tyler had a book of art work. I was pleasantly surprised to see that he had 5 different pictures stating I like my Mom. My heart was about to burst.. then I saw this one.... Then I busted a gut... Is what I THINK it is?? Puppy Love???

I Love Trinity... Aww so sweet. Then I looked closer....

Ummm... Are those???? Ummm boobs?

I was afraid to ask - so I just giggled a little bit and moved on to the next picture!

I Like my Bab (Dad)...

I like Caleb.

Trinity strikes again.. He really has it for this little girl!

My Favorite: I like my Mom...

And Trinity....

I finally asked about Trinity. Tyler politely let me know that she was his girlfriend... along with a polite eye roll...

They start entirely too young these days!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-25T22:01:00.001-04:00

For More WW entries visit here

I ♥ Faces

2009-03-23T21:30:00.002-04:00

This weeks I ♥ Faces challenge is NO Flash! Good thing it was really sunny outside yesterday! I snapped this shot of my neighbors little girl. I think this one turned out nice...

For more entries visit I ♥ Faces.

Pony Ride

2009-03-22T23:40:00.006-04:00

Our neighbors across the street gave us a buzz yesterday and invited us over for a pony ride. Turns out our neighbors brother and his wife just got a pony named "Fuzzy". They are going to start hosting birthday parties for kids out at their farm. I am pretty sure our next birthday party will be at the farm. The kids really had a great time. This was the first time any of them ever got on a horse. Thanks K Family for such a great afternoon!

Thomas all smiles!

Tanner ♥ed it!

And Tyler all smiles....

Ulitmate Blog Party 2009

2009-03-20T18:19:00.004-04:00

Okay Blog Buddies! Just in case you have not heard about the Ultimate Blog Party jump on over to 5 Minutes for Mom site. This is a great opportunity to make new friends and enter for some awesome giveaways....

I am off to enjoy the party!

If you need a good laugh...

2009-03-19T21:34:00.007-04:00

Jump on Over the Homesteader's Heart for more Friday Funnies!

If you need a good laugh watch the video below... My Mother-in-law sent this to me!
I laughed so hard! This is another good reason why God Made Mommies!
Enjoy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-18T12:10:00.002-04:00

I was looking through some old picutres and found this one of all my boys... Seems like yesterday - they grow up WAY too fast!

For More Wordless Wednesday entries visit here or here.

Something kind of Fun...

2009-03-17T19:13:00.002-04:00

See how well you do in placing the states of the Unites States of America! All you do is look at the top and drag and drop the state where it belongs on the map! If you have a few minutes, check out this little game. The kids thought it was pretty neat. Thomas did really well. Let me know how you did~ U

nited States of America . I scored an 86 - don't laugh it is tougher than you think! LOL Enjoy...

Tracey

Must be Time to Play the Lottery!

2009-03-15T20:00:00.005-04:00

Guess what??? I entered a Giveaway over at My 3 Wisemans and as it turns out I am the lucky winner! I won a Kid Motion Playskool Easy Dunk Basketball. My kiddos are going to like this! Thanks so much Shana! That is two giveaways that I have won.... It must be time to play the lottery! LOL!

Sleep Over

2009-03-14T09:44:00.006-04:00

Thomas decided that he wanted a sleep over for his birthday party this year. So I allowed him to pick 3 of his friends to come sleep over. So in total we had six little boys in our house last night. The boys had a great time. Aside from the urge to run in the house there were no problems. Everyone shared and played together great. We took the boys out to eat pizza and the "Big" boys got to sit at one booth, Frank, Tyler, Tanner and I sat at a booth right beside them. Everyone behaved so nicely. We came home and played DS for few minutes and then we watched Madagascar II. After that, the boys were starting to yawn a little so I pulled out all the sleeping bags and pillows. I put in Star Wars and by 11:30 they were asleep.

The boys woke before the sun this morning. 5:45 is when I heard them. No telling how long they had been up there playing. Needless to say, I bet I know some little boys that will take nap this afternoon! Here are a few pictures of the fun!

2009-03-11T20:09:00.002-04:00

Thought the shadows were kind of neat!

Thomas is 8

2009-03-09T10:13:00.001-04:00

Today my first baby, Thomas turns 8 years old. This little boy is an absolute blessing. I can't believe that I will not have 3 car seats in my truck anymore! He gets to ditch the booster seat! He couldn't wait to get rid of that thing. I did tell him that he could still use it if he wanted too - but his answer was "No way Mom"! Frank and I decided to let him have his birthday gift from us a little early. We gave it to him yesterday. It was such a beautiful day, we could not resist. After all there is not much time to enjoy a new bike after school, homework, ball practice, and a birthday dinner! He loved it! It is a pretty fancy bike too (Tony Hawk)! He had to get use to the "hand" brakes. He enjoyed riding around all day! Of course there had to be a little "Star Wars" action going on too! I will post more birthday pictures later...

Yeah - He likes it! ALOT! LOL

Posing with his new wheels...

Taking her out for a spin!

And of couse a little Star Wars action!

My Skoy Cloths Have Arrived!

2009-03-08T22:01:00.005-04:00

You may recall that I recently won a pack of Skoy cloths from Monkey's Mamma's giveaway. Well they came in the mail yesterday. Let me tell guys - these little guys are wonderful! I couldn't wait to try them out. I grabbed them right away and wet one down. I wiped my granted counter tops down. Normally everything that I use to clean these counter tops with leaves them streaked. Not these bad boys.. Just plain water and PRESTO - clean and shiny! Jump on over to their website and order some now. You will not be disappointed! I will be buying more! :)

Thanks to Monkey's Mamma for such a great giveaway and thank-you Skoy for such a great product!

Please Excuse the mess...

2009-03-04T21:56:00.002-05:00

My blog whacked out on me and I am trying to fix it... I don't know a whole lot about this blog editing business, but I am learning....slowly. Please excuse the mess. I will get it looking decent after a while... I hope...

It's My Birthday..

2009-03-04T17:42:00.002-05:00

Today I celebrate my 37th birthday! I had breakfast brought to me at work, lunch with some friends and a "surprise" staff meeting that resulted in eating LOTS of Birthday cake. Frank and the boys gave birthday cards too. We will most likely go out to eat for dinner tonight! I have received over 50 emails and posts on my FB wall too!
Thanks to all for all the birthday wishes!

Next week... Thomas will be 8 years old. Time to get the party details worked out! I will be posting about the "sleep over" later....

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-04T08:18:00.001-05:00

For more entries visit here or here...

I ♥ Faces Week 8 - Messy Faces

2009-03-02T22:02:00.003-05:00

The weeks theme over at I ♥ Faces is Messy Faces. I think I have one to fit this weeks category! This is Mattie Rose. She just celebrated her 1st birthday - in style!

For more entries visit I ♥ Faces.

Peace and Quiet...

2009-03-02T20:46:00.005-05:00

It doesn't happen often... But my house is very quiet right now... Frank is looking for a new truck on the Internet and the boys are in bed - and no TV. I haven't posted alot lately. I have been really busy taking care of the house, and working. Right now I am going to catch up with my bloggy friends and friends on face book...

Oh and enjoy my peace and quiet...

Crazy Boys

2009-03-01T00:03:00.001-05:00

My boys were outside goofing around last week-end and decided to have some fun with the air compressor. Frank was supervising them as they were blowing stuff around in the garage. Then they decided to blow the air in their faces. They were just a giggling! So of course I had to grab my camera! The thought the hair blowing was the coolest thing!

Tanner

Tyler

& Thomas....

Crazy Boys...

I Won a Giveaway Prize!

2009-02-28T10:41:00.003-05:00

Monkey's Momma hosted a giveaway and guess what? I won! ☺ The prize is pack of Skoy cloths. I can not wait to try these out.

One Skoy cloth can reused time after time and you can even sanitize them in microwave or just toss em the dishwasher! Skoy Enterprises was started in 2007 by two stay at home Moms, Michelle and Karen. They carefully researched long and hard to develop this product. So head on over to there site to read more more about their story.
While you are at it stop by Monkey's Momma blog too. She is getting ready to host another giveaway!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-25T10:34:00.001-05:00

For more Wordless Wednesday entries visit http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/

I ♥ Faces Week 7 - B&W

2009-02-23T21:08:00.005-05:00

This weeks theme for I ♥ Faces is black and white. I took this picture of Tyler about one year ago. He is so easy to shoot. He has a darling face and doesn't mind a camera in one bit!

This is my entry for the adult addition of I Heart Faces. This is one of my favorite pictures of me and Frank!

For more entries click either button above! Y'all check em out. There are some great photos put there!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

I Heart Faces Week 6 - Wonder

2009-02-16T21:09:00.004-05:00

I Heart Faces week 6 - Wonder...
I took this shot of Tanner when he was just 3 years old. I look at him wonder what was he thinking? He just watched the waves wash in and out....

Head over to I Heart Faces for more of this weeks entries!

Busy Week-end Update

2009-02-16T20:23:00.005-05:00

Sorry, I have been "blogless" the last couple of days. I have been really busy this past week-end. So here is what I have been up to the last couple of days!
Thursday night, the boys addressed their Valentine's cards for their classmates. It was too cute watching them decide which card to give to who. I remember that being such a big decision when I was kid. They had great time too!

Thomas concentrating on getting it right.

Tyler was looking so serious! LOL

On Friday, Frank and Tanner surprised me at work took me out to lunch. Tanner gave me some flowers and politely told me that HE picked them out but DADDY paid for them! He was so proud to give them to me. It was a very nice surprise - the flowers were a bonus!

The wedding plans are starting to come together now. Me and Stevie (bride to be) spent the afternoon printing her invitations and RSVP cards. We assembled them and now they are ready to be stuffed into envelopes and mailed. They turned out great didn't they? We had a great time together.

I have also been tieing bows for our Relay for Life team. I have tied bows for one of fund raisers for 6 years in a row now. This is such a great fund raiser. The ribbon costs next to nothing and we "sell" each of them for $ 10.00 each. People proudly display them on their cubicles, and mail boxes. For more information about Relay for Life following this link. http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/about Please donate to your local Relay event and if you are interested in sponsoring me, leave me and comment and I will send you the link so you can make a donation!
So that about wraps it up! Busy, Busy, Busy!
I will be playing catch on all of my blog buddies... I will be visiting you all soon!

The Girls Beat the Boys

2009-02-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday Night my best friend Kim and her family came over. The kids played Wii and the adults played a friendly game of Spades. Kim and I have always been partners against Frank and Matt. We used to play cards all the time. But then kids were born and yadda yadda yadda. Anyway we need cheap entertainment. We are all about cheap these days! Well we finally did it! The Girls beat the Boys! The first time EVER! The funniest part of the whole thing was watching them try to figure out how they could beat us! When the last hand was I knew it was OVER! We laughed and laughed! You could see the wheels spinning in their heads! Kim and I had to mark the day in history and of course - take a picture! Frank couldn't add the final score. Instead he wrote something "ugly". Therefore I cropped the bottom. It was too bad - but my blog is rated "E" - for everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-11T00:00:00.001-05:00

For more Wordless Wednesday entries click the button below.

I Heart Faces

2009-02-10T19:22:00.002-05:00

This weeks theme over at the photo blog I Heart Faces is silly. Mattie Rose was over the other night making the cutest silly faces~ I enjoyed taking pictures of her~ She is a doll~

For more silly faces click on the link below~

Disappointing News

2009-02-07T09:39:00.005-05:00

I received some very disappointing news Thursday night. My father will most likely be laid off from his job by the end of the month. He has worked at this company for over 30 years. The plant will probably be shut down completely by the end of the year if the economy doesn't pick up. My daddy is only 59 years old and is not prepared to retire right now.... To add to the "stress" my baby sister had a "turn key" wedding planned for April. With the lay off of my dad, that wedding is not possible. My daddy is very disappointed that he can not pay for the wedding of my sisters dreams. He stated that he felt like a failure. That broke my heart... Not only hearing my dad's words, but also that Stevie (baby sis) can't have the wedding she has always dreamed of. SO with that being said, I have been kind of down in the dumps...

I receive a Daily Devotional and here is an excerpt of what it said...

You may be surprised—even shocked—by something unexpected that happens today. But remember: God saw it coming and sees how it fits in the big picture of your life. You may not have seen it coming, but God did.
Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only he can see.

I needed a reminder that God knows all that is happening before it happens. HE is in control. I know all this will work out. God will see to it..

Please keep my family in your prayers....

In the mean time, we have about 9 weeks to re-plan this wedding on a much "smaller" scale. I have to get busy!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-03T23:11:00.004-05:00

The Melting Pot... Not many words needed...

For more entries click here.

I Love Faces

2009-02-03T22:55:00.004-05:00

I am entering this photo in "The Eyes Have It" on the I Love Faces site. There are different themes this week for kids, adults and the newest category is pets. Go check out all of the pictures people have posted. You will see some great shots!

I entered this picture of Tanner when he was a baby. His eyes show just how happy he is about eating that big boy cookie!

Wish me Luck!

Awards Day...

2009-01-30T20:56:00.008-05:00

Frank and I attended Awards Day at Thomas and Tyler's school Thursday. Both my boys received an award for Perfect Attendance. They were so proud (so was I). Neither one of the kids knew that they were going to receive the award so they were so surprised to see us sitting in the bleachers when they marched in with their classmates.

This is Thomas accepting his award.

And here is Tyler accepting his award.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-28T14:40:00.002-05:00

Monster Jam Surprise

2009-01-25T13:22:00.007-05:00

Frank and I surprised the boys yesterday - we took them to Raleigh to see Monster Jam.

When we pulled into the RBC Center, the boys freaked out! They were so excited! This was my first experience @ Monster Jam.

It is really LOUD so we wore ear plugs.

The boys reminded me of Shrek wearing them! Too funny!

We all had a really fun time.

Here is a 1 minute video of Bounty Hunter!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Snowfall in Eastern NC

2009-01-22T23:13:00.007-05:00

As you could probably figure out based on my Wordless Wednesday post, we got a little bit of the white stuff here in eastern, North Carolina. It does not happen very often. In fact Tuesday's snowfall was the first accumulation we have had since 2003! We got around 5 inches and it was awesome while it lasted.... This was Tanner's first real snow - and the first one Tyler can remember!
Here are some pictures! Frank took these pictures while I was still at work.

Thomas and Tyler were so excited!

First order of business - SNOWBALLS!

Then SNOW ANGELS!

And of course - a snowman!

Tanner really like the snowman!

This is what the road looked like right after I got home from work. On a normal day it takes my 20 minutes to get home. It took 1 hour and 10 minutes on Tuesday! It was awful!

Tanner really had fun!

Thomas liked it too!

Here are the boys "tasting" snowflakes!

Our friend Michael from down the road came over to play!

Frank enjoyed the snow too!

And this my friends was taken this afternoon. Our snow lasted one day and now it is gone... It is sad. I just hope we don't have to wait another 6 years before we get snow again!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-21T10:36:00.001-05:00

Look SNOW in eastern NC! How exciting!!!

Not Me Monday

2009-01-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

This is my first post that officially participates in Not Me Monday... So here we go!

So I did NOT heat water in the microwave in a ceramic mug then grab the mug and burn the crap out of my hand - no Not me. What idiot would grab a hot mug from the microwave??? So then turned around and mixed hot chocolate in that hot mug and picked it up (using a pot holder this time - doesn't take me long to learn) and sipped it an burned the crapolla out of my mouth! Nope NOT me!

I did NOT change sheets on Tyler's bed @ 12:30 at night! - then again @ 6:30 am.

I did NOT put my kids to bed early so I could play Batman Lego's on their DS. They really needed to get more rest that night!

I did NOT eat like a PIG and blow my "new way of eating". Who can resist a good ole fashion double cheese burger from a greasy grill joint?

I did NOT want to leave work early on Friday when Tyler's teacher called because he was sick. I NEVER want to leave work early - especially on a Friday. I really didn't want my little guy to be sick. He is better now. I would prefer just take the afternoon off - but if a kid picks an afternoon to be sick - Friday is a good one!

I did NOT wash 8 loads of laundry, fold, and iron all of it and put it away on Sunday. The laundry fairy did it. She is so wonderful - I don't know what I would do without her?

I wigged out when Tanner claimed his tooth was hurting. He is four and a half. Four year old kids do NOT have cavities. When I looked into his mouth I did NOT see a HUGE cavity in his mouth. His teeth are brushed twice a day! I do NOT see a visit to the dentist tomorrow!

For more Not Me Monday posts visit: My Charming Kids.

Ready to Take Back Your Closet???

2009-01-16T15:30:00.004-05:00

Nancy over @ One Stop Boy Shop wants to Take Back Her Closet and so do I! I think a lot of us have set goals to loose weight. Nancy has started a forum to share recipes, encouragement, goals and what ever else is on your mind. I personally have to loose some weight so I don't feel like a cow standing next to my sister in April when she gets married. (BTW - she is like a size 6!) I started Weight Watcher last week and I lost 3 pounds! I am VERY excited about that. I get encouragement from a couple of my friends who are also, doing the WW thing. I have joined Nancy's forum as well. If you need some additional support, low calorie recipes or just need to someone who understands the struggles we sometime face just click the button above to register and Take Back Your Closet!

Laws of Reality

2009-01-15T16:50:00.002-05:00

THE LAWS OF ULTIMATE REALITY

Got this in an email today - Thought it was pretty good!

Enjoy!

Law of Mechanical Repair
After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee.
Law of Gravity
Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.
Law of Probability
The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.
Law of Random Numbers
If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal and someone always answers.
Law of the Alibi
If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.
Variation Law
If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now (works every time).
Law of the Bath
When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.
Law of Close Encounters
The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.
Law of the Result
When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will
Law of Biomechanics
The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.
Law of the Theater
At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.
The Starbucks Law
As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.
Murphy's Law of Lockers
If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.
Law of Physical Surfaces
The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
Brown's Law of Physical Appearance
If the shoe fits, it's ugly.
Oliver's Law of Public Speaking
A closed mouth gathers no feet.
Wilson's Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy
As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.
Doctors' Law
If you don't feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you'll feel better. Don't make an appointment and you'll stay sick.

Blog Make Over Give Away!

2009-01-14T18:58:00.003-05:00

Hey Everone! I just learned of Blog Makeovers by Tara! She is just getting her blog makeover business going and is having a giveaway on Jan 20th. She also is having a great "sale" to get things started! Drop by and enter her drawing!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-14T10:08:00.002-05:00

Not a great shot - but kind of neat!

Toilet Paper Debate

2009-01-13T13:33:00.009-05:00

Okay - You are probably wondering why in the heck I am blogging about toilet paper? Well here is the deal....

My boys have poor bathroom manners (I think they all do). If you are a Mommy of boys (especially young ones) you know exactly what I am talking about!

Besides making a mess constantly they use entirely too much toilet paper. So I got smart (or so I thought so) and bought the cheapest one ply toilet paper I could find.
One - that stuff is expensive. It does not require an entire roll of toilet tissue to wipe a small butt!
Two - I was sick and tired of using the plunger (which creates a mess of it's own) every time one of my kids used the potty!

Well the one ply worked! I have not had to plunge in a couple of weeks now! I did however make a new rule: MY bathroom (master bathroom) is off limits to the boys! I bought my usual Charmin toilet tissue for MY bathroom. It has taken dear husband 3 weeks to figure out that I skimped on the toilet paper for the boys! He told me that I shouldn't be buying that cheap toilet tissue! I simply explained why I did it.

NOTE: HE does not plunge regularly - somehow anything that has to do with Poo belongs on my list of responsibilities.
Needless to say we have "debated" my logic of buying the cheap stuff and hogging the good stuff for my royal butt!

Is that wrong??? What are you thoughts?? For real. I want to know.... Can't the only girl in the house have at least one "perk"?

As side note: Nancy over @ One Stop Boy Shop like this post so much she gave me The Post of the Day Award! :) Thanks Nancy!

Blog Award Time!

2009-01-12T22:38:00.004-05:00

My friend Maggie over at Life With Boys sent a couple of Blog Awards my way! Maggie is married to Jeramy and has two boys Joshua and Jonah. She is like me and is the only "girl" in her home. She writes about the ups and downs of Life with Boys. So y'all go check out her blog. She has recently given it a new make over! Thank-you so much Maggie!

The rules for these awards are:
* Put the logo on your blog or post.
* Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude! Do your best to share the love!
* Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
* Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
* Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

I would like to pass these three awards on to:
Nancy @ One Stop Boy Shop
Liz @ My Crazy Life with 4 Boys
Dina @ 4 Lettre Words
Alicia @ My Three B's and Me
Kaci @ My Three Sons
Jenny @ Life with 4 Kiddos
Michaelle @ Monkey's Momma
Shasta @ Crackers and Chaos
Kim @ Blessed with Girls
Shannon @ Gabi's World

Hope you all enjoy your awards!

Delurking Day

2009-01-12T22:28:00.004-05:00

I have just learned that today is Delurking Day! So if you have been lurking around my blog please leave a comment! I would love to visit your blog and make a new friend (or catch up with an old friend)! And everybody loves comments - right??

The Tooth Fairy Visits

2009-01-11T22:36:00.005-05:00

So I am having dinner with Frank and the boys the other night and Thomas is not eating at all. I noticed he was moving his jaw back and forth. I asked him what he was doing and he told me that he had a loose tooth. He was using his bottom teeth to wiggle his top tooth. I told him to eat his dinner and he could work on that tooth after dinner. He then shows me the loose tooth and it was really loose. It was loose enough that I thought he may loose it while eating!

He started to wiggle his tooth around....

And around.....

And finally success!

He was really excited that the Tooth Fairy was coming to visit!

Mountain Trip

2009-01-08T13:26:00.005-05:00

On New Year’s Day Frank and I took the boys to the mountains. Frank had some business to do in the area so we thought why not take the whole family? We left early on Thursday morning. The boys slept for a while then played with their Nintendo DS. When we got there (after stopping a couple of places for Frank to do his thing) it was close to dark. We had dinner and settled down for the evening. In the morning when we woke up, I opened the blinds and what do I see?? SNOW~ Okay – you snowbirds are laughing right now I just know it! There was a “dusting” of snow outside. The boys went nuts (okay so did I)! We headed out for breakfast and had to “play” for a minute!
After breakfast we headed up the mountain for some sight seeing (i.e.; yesterday’s WW entry). We hiked up and down some trails and saw some neat stuff. Later that evening, Frank and I took the kids snow tubing. We all had a blast~! I did not take pictures because you can’t haul a camera around while snow tubing – not a good idea. The place that we went took pictures, however they want me to pay $7.00 for a 4X6 photo! They have lost their minds! So no pictures of that! We all had a really great time! We can’t wait to go back!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-07T08:21:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year~

2009-01-06T12:24:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! Our family has been really busy over the last week. I hosted a New Year's party and we all had a really great time. We had a taco dinner. It worked out quite nicely and it was really good too~
The kids enjoyed playing and dancing together. Of course, I had to get in there and dance too. I love to dance - with kids or grown ups! We all had a really fun time together. It is really good to have such great friends!

Lining up the kids to eat.

The guys - too full to move!

All of these women are named Kim - YES all 4 of them~!

Me and Kim P.

Me, Kim, and Bobbie Jo

A little dancing...

Good friends clean your kitchen! Lucky me!

Trying to figure out how this works.

Me & Kim

Kim & Matt

My neighbors Kim and Matt (yes there are 2)

Gentry and Jonathan

Kim and Mark

Dale & Bobbie Jo

Stephanie and David

Rob & Wendy

Tuckered out! LOL

Christmas Day

2008-12-28T23:43:00.013-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. My little Tanner was sick with a fever which started Christmas Eve and all day Christmas day. Poor guy, he slept 4 hours on Christmas day. He is feeling much better now . Any how, we missed Rebecca and Steven (in-laws) as they are living in Florida now and were not able to make the trip home for Christmas. We still had a house full - full of family and full of love. My parents, my sister Many, my sister Stevie and her fiance Brock, Ms. Nancy(Steven's mother), and Steven's Uncle Joe and Aunt Jean were all here to celebrate Christmas. We had a nice brunch which consisted of way too much food, and opened gifts. The boys were so excited to see that Santa had brought them what they asked for. They got a Nintendo DS and a Wii. That is all that they asked for - good thing because the elves couldn't build them any more gifts! LOL. We all enjoyed the day - I just wished it could have lasted a little bit longer...

We sprinkled Reindeer food out- it consists of oatmeal and glitter. The glitter makes the oatmeal "sparkle" so the Reindeer can see it from the sky.

Here are the boys in their new jamimies. I normally get them Christmas jammies, but I couldn't find any this year. I think they liked these better!

Tanner - not feeling up to taking pictures.

Cookies for Santa.

Aunt Stevie passing out gifts.

The aftermath.... Sad - I know. But it was Christmas!

Merry Christmas...

2008-12-24T23:54:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2008-12-24T11:20:00.001-05:00

Baking Time

2008-12-23T22:20:00.005-05:00

I have been busy for the last several days wrapping Christmas gifts and baking cookies. The boys enjoy helping with some of their favorites. Here are few pics of our baking time...

If you get the chance, take a peek at the vidoes I created from the Santa.com.
Here are the links:
Thomas
Tyler
Tanner

Tanner's Christmas Program

2008-12-19T22:06:00.003-05:00

Tanner's Christmas program was held last Monday night. The kids had really good time. Thomas, and Tyler got to spend a few minutes talking with their old teachers. Here is a little clip of my little Tanner....

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Computer on the Fritz...

2008-12-19T21:00:00.005-05:00

It has been almost an entire week since I got to post last. A virus has attacked my laptop and hubby has been working form the desk top -therefore I haven't been able to post. Anyhoo...

I was looking at my Christmas tree the other night watching it spin around and around. (I was bored okay LOL). I stood up at started looking at all the ornaments on our tree. It is tradition for our family that we buy each child a new ornament as well as a family ornament. What sweet memories they bring back every time I look at them. It is funny to watch our family "grow" year after year. Here are a few from past years....

Just me and Frank 1999 ( the year we were married)

2001 - Thomas was our new addition!

2002 Tyler joined our family!

2004 we were blessed with one more little boy - Tanner.

2005 - Try something new - not bears LOL

I really like this one... the stockings are too cute!

This years family ornament - Snowflakes!

There were a couple of years skipped on this entry - but they hang proudly one my tree!
I wonder what we do next year....

Week-end Update

2008-12-14T21:53:00.008-05:00

We had a very busy week-end. On Thursday night Thomas and Tyler got sing at school. Here is a small video of the event. The footage is not great, but the boys were on the other side of the gym from where we had to sit. As you will see Tyler (red shirt) gets into his movements. It is funny. You will see Thomas, getting into his song as well. The 3rd scene is from Thomas' first "play" at school on Friday. He was so proud. He was Dingle the elf.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

On Saturday, Kim and I got the kids up and hit the mall. What the kids did not know was that we were going to eat breakfast with Santa Claus. Each child received a stuff "cow" as a gift. Only the first 50 kids got a gift so we got there early. Here are few pictures of the day.

Caroline and Mattie with Santa.

Tanner, Tyler, and Thomas with Santa.

The kids enjoyed watching the bears sing. (after camera story see below).

Smiling kids.

Santa's Castle in the mall.

While we were there, we decided to do a little shopping. We stopped by store #1 and Kim picked up a gift for Abby. I decided to stand at the front of the store and watch the kids. (all 5 of them). We then ventured to store #2 and then store #3. We headed down the mall to Santa's castle (pictured above) and I noticed that I did not have my camera! Panic set it in. I was ready to cry. I just got my camera last Christmas, it is a Pentax K100 D -in other words not cheap. I ran down the mall to store #3. I asked the lady at the counter if she saw my camera. Her answer was no. I then ran to store #2. The answer was the same. I began to cry. Tears just a flowing. Frank was going to KILL me. I stopped the security guards and told them what was going on. They called customer service and asked if anyone had turned a camera in. They came back with a negative. I then made the phone call to Frank. I told him my camera was gone. He said nothing. I knew he was mad, but he knew I was more upset than he was mad. He told me to walk down to Customer Service and give them my name and number in case someone turned it in. On the way to the Customer Service counter, I stopped by store #1. I walked in and asked the lady at the counter if someone happened to find a camera. She said YES! I could not believe it. Some stranger was nice enough to turn in my camera to the sales clerk. They had hidden it behind the counter. I told her what kind of camera it was and she dug deep into a cabinet and pulled it out. I was in shock!! So we can still have faith that there are some kind people in this world. Thank-you to the stranger who was honest enough to give my camera to the sales clerk. I immediately called Frank and told him. I was so relived. At this point we found the Security Guard and told him that we had found it. He said he had already stopped someone who happened to have a camera around the neck and checked it out. Thank you Lord! :0)

Me and the boys then came home. We had a little snack and I finally got around to putting up another Christmas tree. This is the Mommy tree. I call it the Mommy tree because it has pretty flowers on it. The boys could care less about this one! LOL

Here is our family Christmas tree. We put this up a couple of weeks ago. This tree has all of our favorite Christmas ornaments we have collected through out the years. We reflect on lots of good memories while putting up this tree. The really neat thing about this tree is, that it spins. It slowly turns around and around... You can see all the ornaments on the tree. The boys LOVE it.

Today, Frank, the boys, myself along with Kim, Matt, and the girls went to see The Polar Express at the Imax Theater. Seeing this movie in 3D is AWESOME. The kids really enjoy this yearly outing. We have seen this movie at the Imax every year since Tanner has been born. It is one of our family traditions. It was really great to have Kim and her family join us this year. We all had a really great day!

Photo Award...

2008-12-14T21:27:00.002-05:00

Alisha from Izzy 'N Emmy gave me her Capture award for last weeks Wordless Wednesday. This is my first photography award. Thanks so much for the recognition Alisha! Everyone should take a peek at her blog. She has the most precious little girls.

Created By Alisha

I will be updating about our week-end soon. Stay tuned. We were very busy. We had alot of fun!

Pictures of my Boys

2008-12-12T20:53:00.003-05:00

Last night Tyler and Thomas had their little Christmas Show at school. The boys got sing and dance with their classmates. While I had all 3 boys dressed, I snapped some pictures. I will be using these on our Christmas cards! I have some handsome little boys! Check em out!

I will try to post some video of the boys singing later. The video was not great because they were so far away! But that is another story!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-12-10T18:33:00.001-05:00

Need a New Blog layout??

2008-12-09T18:23:00.003-05:00

You guys head on over the Three Peas in a Pod . Tiff's husband has started his own design firm Doyle Designs. They are giving away a new blog layout and button! I want a button! She has all the details on her blog! Check it out!!!!

A Christmas Story

2008-12-08T15:33:00.002-05:00

Ever wonder where the some of the Christmas traditions come from? I received this at work today and I thought I would share:

When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.Then Mrs Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drank all the cider and hidden the liquor. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.Just then the doorbell rang, and irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree. The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?'And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree. HA!
I thought I was having a bad day~! This made me laugh - I hope you got a laugh too!
BTW - I Love Christmas Angels on top of a tree.

Bloggy Awards to Share!

2008-12-07T22:14:00.007-05:00

Maggie over at Life with Boys gave me this award:

I would like to say Thank-you Maggie! Your blog is truly Fabulous!

I would like to pass this along to the following 5 Bloggy Buddies:

Bren @ 3 Little Monkeys

Monkey's Mom @ Monkey's Mom

Shasta - New Bloggy Friend @ Crackers and Chaos

Tiff @ Three Peas in a Pod

Alicia @ My Three B's and Me

All you gals have fabulous blogs!

Next I received a Bloggy Award from Alicia @ My Three B's and Me

Thanks Alicia! Your blog is so much fun to read and I love all your pictures!

The qualifications to receive the award are:
A. Display a cheerful attitude.
B. Love one another.
C. Make mistakes.
D. Learn from others.
E. Be a positive contributor to the blog world.
F. Love life.
G. Love kids.
This award has been awarded to:

Maggie @ Life with Boys
Shana @ My 3 Wisemans (check out here giveaways for Countdown to Christmas!)
Kim @ Blessed with Girls
Kim @ On the Go
Dina @ 4 Lettre Words

The Rules:
1. Must link it back to the creator
2. Post the rules
3. Choose 5 people to give it to
4. Recipients must fit the characteristics above
5. Create a post to share this
6. You must thank the winner.

Thanks to all who read my blog!

Mistletoe Hunt..

2008-12-07T21:29:00.003-05:00

Frank and I took the boys out to the woods on a hunt for mistletoe. We searched high and low (mostly high -really high). We found lots of mistletoe hanging in the tops of trees. None of it was with in reach so we decided to give up. On the way out what do we find?? Mistletoe and it was low enough that the boys could reach it without even being picked up! We grabbed some and pulled it down. Frank and I told them of the Christmas tradition of what you do when two people meet under mistletoe. They couldn't believe that you had to kiss! They were like oooo... It was too funny. When we got home, we gathered some of it together and wrapped red ribbon around it. We hung some over two doorways in our home. The boys would run through the doorway to avoid being kissed! Too funny! One day they will probably walk around holding it over their heads - just so they can be kissed.
We have another busy week ahead. I have LOTS of work to do. I hope to post again soon!

Head on over the My 3 Wisemans blog for a chance to win! She has some great giveaways planned during her Countdown to Christmas! See y'all later!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-12-02T23:16:00.001-05:00

Still here...

2008-12-02T21:27:00.005-05:00

Needless to say I have busy lately. I haven't had time to even get my laundry caught up so I haven't blogged in a couple in about a week. Here is the run down on what has been going on...

Layoffs: First I would like to say Thank-you to all of you who left kind comments of compassion during that very stressful time for me. Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated. God answered your prayers and spared my from being part of the layoffs. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you! :0)

My friend Matt made if home from the hospital and he is doing well. He has adjusted well so far to the new lifestyle changes that his diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes has brought him. He has kept his sugar right where it needs to be. My Dad is feeling a better now. His stomach pain has still not been diagnosed. He will be having a CT scan tomorrow and the endoscopy procedure as well. Hopefully this will reveal the source of his pain and it can be addressed. Please say a little prayer that all goes well.

Thanksgiving was great! My two Best Friends Kim and Kim along with their families joined my family (my sister Stevie, her fiance, and my parents) this year for Thanksgiving. My in-laws Rebbecca and Steven stayed in Florida for Thanksgiving. We cooked two turkeys and all the fixings and had a feast! I really enjoyed our day together. After lunch we dragged out all the sale papers and Kim and I mapped out our day for Black Friday. Kim and I brave the crowds every year together. We shop, listen to Christmas music and have breakfast. This has become a tradition that we do together each year. We get up early and stand in line outside of Toys R Us. I really enjoy spending this time with her. We always have such a great time!

The not so great part of Thanksgiving, was @ 6:00am I was putting the bird in the oven and I hear this faint call of Moooommyyyy~ Uh-Oh this can not be good. Well, it wasn't - Tanner had gotten sick in his bed. GREAT - I think. He has a stomach virus. As I get him settled and start to get kind of ill about the him being sick, I thought about how blessed I was to have my child to take care of. Even if he does have a stomach virus. There are lots of Mommies out there who would give anything to have their child with them now - even if they had to clean up vomit. I say a little prayer to God just tell him Thank-you for my beautiful family. Tanner slept for a little while. He seemed to get over it quickly and was able to eat lunch with the rest of us. Later that evening Tyler started up. He ended up sleeping on the couch that night and was feeling much better by morning...

Friday was also my Mom's 60th birthday. She and Dad came over and Frank, the boys and I took her out to dinner to celebrate. We had a really great time and we only waited for about 45 minutes. Not too bad for Black Friday! Tanner told the waitress that it was Nana's birthday, so the wait staff came out with a dessert and sang Happy Birthday.

By Saturday morning, the virus has made its way through the whole family. I felt like I had been run over by a truck. By Sunday, we were all back to normal. Thanks goodness. So that is a quick summary of what we have been up to lately!

I have two bloggy awards I will passing on soon!

Me.

One fried Turkey - Yummy! Thanks Matt & Frank!

OOPS! Someone forgot the giblets. ooo LOL!

Dad making gravy.

Blessing our food.

Mattie is munching down!!!!

On the Go Kim helping with the dishes!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Wordless Wednesday....

2008-11-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

Putting up the Christmas Tree!

2008-11-25T23:07:00.005-05:00

The boys begged me to put our "family" Christmas tree up last night. I really wasn't in the "mood" but I shoved those feelings in the back of my head and pulled out the tree. The boys had a blast. I put on the Christmas music and before I knew it, my "mood" was gone. We had a really nice time. No one got cranky or anything! Here are a few pictures of my crazy boys! They are so much fun~

Update..

2008-11-21T22:34:00.001-05:00

Oh where to start... Kim called @ 7:00 this morning to give me an update on her husband, Matt. He had a really bad day yesterday. She was worried about him. She said that he was still in quite a bit of pain. Thankfully, I can report that he is feeling MUCH better today. I went to see him this afternoon, and he seemed more like himself. Hopefully he can come home from the hospital on Monday....
The 7:45 - Mom calls. She tells me that my Dad is not well. My Dad NEVER complains about anything. He came home from work yesterday and was sick. He has lots of abdominal pain. He thinks he is having a pancreatic attack. He did not sleep last night and was headed to the Urgent Care Center or the ER. Now I am busting out in tears.. Driving in the snow (:0) - That was God smiling at me - it never snows in eastern NC especially in November - aka God Wink) I am crying my eyes out. My dad is sick and I don't know why, my best friends hubby is sick and not getting better and I don't know if I will arrive to work and be able to stay! It was just too much!
I finally get to work to learn that another co-workers husband had a heart attack last night and he passed away. Breaking point....
I go to my boss in tears. I tell her everything! She immediately gives me a hug and tells me to go. Go be with your Dad. I did. I left. I didn't care anymore....
Well, the truth is I still cared about the job, but at that moment I needed to be with my Daddy. I met him at the Urgent Care Center, and I took him the radiology. They did an ultrasound. Everything appeared to me normal. We go back to the Urgent Care and the doctor there scheduled him for an Upper GI. He thinks it is stomach ulcers. I guess time will tell. Say a little prayer that he will be feeling better soon.
There was still more layoffs at work. Total count so far is somewhere in the neighborhood of 40. My boss held a meeting with my department and told them that as far as she knew we were all okay. Nothing definite, but a little bit of comfort.

Thanks to you all for your sweet comments of support you have left me over the past couple of days. Please continue to keep us in you prayers. We are not out of the woods yet!
Thanks again to all of my Bloggy Buddies! You guys are the best!

A Sad Day for Me...

2008-11-20T20:00:00.002-05:00

I posted earlier about the layoffs that were to come @ my place of employment. Well, today they started. I watched 13 friends loose their jobs. It is so hard to sit @ my desk and pretend like it is "business as usual". I frankly don't feel like busting my butt to get work done knowing that any second someone could call me to the office and tell me that I am gone. I am very afraid right now. I know that God will look out for me and my family, but it is still scary. No question, that if I loose my job, my family would loose our health insurance. This is a BIG deal because Thomas gets allergy shots every week. Frank is self employed (general contractor). Business is slow. We would most likely loose our home (my dream home) as well. I know that the house is "stuff" and as long as I have my family, I will be okay. I just don't want to see my kids to have to give up the way they are used to living. I am very stressed right now...
I need everyone to say a prayer for me. While you are at it, please pray for my best friend's husband (Kim @ Blessed with Girls). He has been in the hospital this week. He also is employed by the same company I am. Their family faces the same stress that we are - plus he is sick and in the hospital. It is AWFUL!

Thanks for letting me whine... You can follow me on Twitter for updates during the day tomorrow...

Wordless Wednesday....

2008-11-19T07:10:00.001-05:00

Communication Gap

2008-11-18T19:10:00.002-05:00

Ever have a communication gap? Read this little ha-ha. You will get a kick out of it!

Tickle Me Elmo:
There is a factory in Northern Minnesota which makes the Tickle Me Elmo toys. The toy laughs when you tickle it under the arms. Well, Lena is hired at The Tickle Me Elmo factory and she reports for her first day promptly at 8:00 AM.
The next day at 8:45 AM there is a knock at the Personnel Manager's door. The Foreman throws open the door and begins to rant about the new employee. He complains that she is incredibly slow and the whole line is backing up, putting the entire production line behind schedule.
The Personnel Manager decides he should see this for himself, so the 2 men march down to the factory floor. When they get there the line is so backed up that there are Tickle Me Elmo's all over the factory floor and they're really beginning to pile up.
At the end of the line stands Lena surrounded by mountains of Tickle Me Elmo's. She has a roll of plush red fabric and a huge bag of small marbles.
The 2 men watch in amazement as she cuts a little piece of fabric, wraps it around two marbles and begins to carefully sew the little package between Elmo's legs.
The Personnel Manager bursts into laughter. After several minutes of hysterics he pulls himself together and approaches Lena. "I'm sorry," he says to her, barely able to keep a straight face, "but I think you misunderstood the instructions I gave you yesterday...
"Your job is to give Elmo two test tickles."

That is some funny stuff! I wish the communication gaps in my house turned out to be so funny!